Christine Quinn : Mayoral ''Drop-Out'' or ''Run-Off'' Queen ?

''Countdown to 2013: The Muddled and Messy Start to a Mayor's Race Still Two-and-a-Half Years Away''

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a close political ally of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is a risky bet in the crowded Democratic field to become the next mayor of New York City, wrote David Freedlander in a political analysis for The New York Observer.

Although Speaker Quinn is described by one anonymous political insider as being in a ''first tier'' of likely candidates for the Democratic mayoral nomination, along with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Representative Anthony Weiner, Mr. Freedlander observed that, ''in a crowded field, none of the six own a slice of the electorate all to themselves, and it is impossible for anyone to plausibly claim that he or she has even an inside edge, let alone be considered the front-runner.''

Two issues resonate strongest in Mr. Freedlander analysis of Speaker Quinn's mayoral prospects. First, Speaker Quinn has ''hitched her wagon to Mayor Bloomberg...,'' an act that has risked ''angering'' her ''progressive base.'' Second, ''eight years of City Council shenanigans-even if she was not very involved in many of them-can inspire attack ads that nearly write themselves.'' Presumably, Mr. Freedlander is describing Speaker Quinn's slush fund scandal, the investigation of which continues to claim City Councilmembers two years after news broke of the Speaker's discretionary use of budget appropriations.

''Political insiders are most divided on the prospects of the speaker of the City Council, with some seeing her as likely to drop out of the race altogether and aim for a lesser office, and others seeing her as a veritable lock for a run-off.''

While the status of the investigation into Speaker Quinn's role of making these secret budget allocations and reallocations is unknown, The New York Times exposed in a late New Year's Eve story that Speaker Quinn continues dipping her hand in the cookie jar, contrary to her 2008 public vow to end the ''tradition.''